


One-Night Stands at Workplace: What If I Slept with My Boss

by Joel7th



Series: One-Night Stands at Workplace: What If I Slept with My Boss [1]
Category: Castlevania (Cartoon), 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Modern: No Powers, Canon Bisexual Character, Cezar is a living dog, Crack, Humor, Isaac and Hector are roommates, M/M, hectorcard, past toxic relationship (with Lenore), side pairing Sypha/Trevor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-12
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:41:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23605486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Joel7th/pseuds/Joel7th
Summary: Hector downed the remaining content of his almond milk like the act would fill up his guts for a grim confession. Isaac watched his Adam’s apple bobbing with patience. Putting his mug on the table, he sighed. “Literally I screwed someone I shouldn’t have. I just learned of his identity today. Now I’m definitely screwed.”An inebriated Hector had a one-night stand with a gorgeous man he met at a bar. That man turned out to be his direct supervisor.
Relationships: Alucard | Adrian Tepes | Arikado Genya/Hector, Alucard/Hector (Castlevania)
Series: One-Night Stands at Workplace: What If I Slept with My Boss [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1746442
Comments: 20
Kudos: 78





	1. Chapter 1

Isaac was on page 70 of the book he’d been reading for the last hour when the door to his apartment was slammed open. Throwing the door closed behind his back, Hector rushed in like a fresh gale, a cloud of dust in his wake. He passed Isaac in the kitchen as if he was invisible and made a beeline for the bathroom. Something was not right, Isaac mused, hearing the door shut. He marked the page, left it on the dining table and went to fill the electric kettle. While he waited for the water to boil, little Cezar padded into the kitchen and circled his leg. Isaac squatted down, took out the bag of dog food in the cabinet and poured a reasonable amount into Cezar’s bowl, because unlike Hector who always indulged his dog, Isaac didn’t want him to overeat. The little pug panted happily and dived in.

“He didn’t pet you when he got home, did he?” Isaac said, lightly scratching behind the pug’s ear. “That’s how we know something’s wrong with him.”

Cezar stopped gorging food and whimpered. His big eyes were coated in a sheen of moisture. His pink tongue licked his nose.

Isaac glanced at the clock on the wall. “Five more minutes, if he doesn’t come out, I’ll go check on him. Meanwhile you finish everything in your bowl. Don’t waste food. After that, go play in Hector’s room. I’m going to have a talk with him.”

Cezar wagged his stump of a tail and proceeded to lather his hand with saliva and bits of half-chewed dog food but Isaac was quick. “No,” he told the pup firmly. Rejected, Cezar whined and went back to devour his meal.

When the kettle whistled, Isaac was knocking on the bathroom door. “You alright in there, Hector?” he called. “Do I have to call the police or the emergency?”

From behind the door came Hector’s terse reply, “Neither.”

“Are you sure? Can I come in?”

There was a pregnant pause on the other side, testing Isaac’s patience, which was, admittedly, quite thin. “Are you decent in there?” he asked in a flat tone. “Should I wait a bit more so you can put your pants on?”

“Just come in,” Hector groused. “Door’s not locked.”

Isaac found him sitting on the floor, his back against the toilet, his legs pulled up to his chest and his arms hugging his knees. Classic Hector defensive stance.

“Rough day, huh?” Isaac asked, crouching down next to him.

“Yeah,” came Hector’s muffled reply. He lifted his head to Isaac’s scrutinizing stare. There was no tear trace on his face but his eyes were red around the rims.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Yeah.”

“Come,” Isaac said, rising to his feet. He grabbed Hector’s arm and hefted him up. “I’ll make you something and we’ll talk.”

A few minutes later, a steaming mug was placed in front of Hector after he had settled down at the dining table. He stirred the mug, took a whiff of the steam and asked, “Almond chocolate milk?”

“Instant,” Isaac replied, pushing a bowl of cookies toward Hector before sitting down at his old chair. “Got it at the supermarket the other day, together with these oatmeal cookies. Newly released product. Thought you might like it.”

“Thanks,” Hector said, gently blowing at the steam before taking a sip. He nursed the mug in both hands, his thumbs idly tracing the corgi embossed on the ceramic. “It can’t compare with the real thing but it’s not bad either. I think I like it.”

“Good, because I hate almond milk, and if we both hate it, I’ll have to throw it into the trash bin. Feeling better now?”

“Yeah. Decidedly better.”

“Good to know the food tactic works. Ready to talk about your day?”

Hector’s cheeks colored slightly and he leaned back in his chair with a sigh. “Lenore bombarded me with texts this morning, while I was in a lecture,” he began. “She demanded to know why I was avoiding her altogether. Her emails, her calls, her messages on Messenger.”

“Did you text back?”

“No, my professor has a strict regulations regarding texting in his class. I didn’t want to text her back anyway, but the constant notifications were distracting and stressful.”

Isaac reached for a cookie — one of the few things he and his younger roommate both had a taste for. “So she didn’t know you blocked her, did she?” he asked and took a bite.

Hector seemed to retreat further into his oversized cobalt sweater, which he had changed into because the trusted worn thing was his comfort clothing. “She came to the campus during the noon break and made quite a scene.” He placed the mug on the table to rub his right cheek. “She slapped me in front of my project team after I shouted at her to leave me alone. Then she was asked to leave the campus and I was asked to have a long chat with the counselor.”

Isaac’s brows knitted. “Did you make it absolutely clear to her that she and you were over?”

“I did. The last time we met, I broke up with her and have felt much better since. No symptoms of Lenore-withdrawal at all.”

His attempt to make a joke fell flat given his miserable look.

“Apparently she wasn’t too cheery about being dumped.”

“It hurt her pride I guess. She said it should have been the other way around.”

“This wasn’t the first time she’d gotten physical with you. You sure you don’t want to file a police report?”

Hector shook his head. “It’s… not that serious,” he said in a low voice.

“Not that serious?” Isaac echoed. “She’s the reason you’ve been on therapy for almost a year. Last time you said ‘not that serious’, you went home with five stitches on your head.”

Hector visibly cringed at his words. “For the record, I never dated Carmilla. She just thought we were seeing each other, for whatever reason.”

“And you thought it was a great idea to hook up with someone sharing her blood.”

Hector took a sip from his mug, which must have cooled down by now. Isaac imagined the instant almond milk couldn’t taste so good when it was lukewarm. Hector, however, made no complaint. “Lenore wasn’t controlling and aggressive at the start of our relationship. Back then she was very sweet.”

“Of course she was. She wanted you to drop the charges against her cousin.”

Hector stared at him unblinkingly. After a few seconds, his head dipped and he sagged against his chair. “The sighs were all over the place but I was just blind to them, right? I wasn’t even listening to you.”

Isaac felt a pang of sympathy for his roommate. He dragged his chair to Hector’s side and patted his shoulder. “You were smitten. That happens to everyone.”

“Not you though.”

“But you got out of it, and that matters.”

Hector regarded him with those sad, pretty eyes that sometimes prompted him to contemplate the possibility of a relationship. Still, the conclusion he came to at the end of the line was always that they should just remain friends, and that had nothing to do with their respective sexual orientation. “Thank you, Isaac, for everything you did to me,” Hector said, clasping his hand.

“Can’t believe I’m saying this but what’s a roommate for?”

“Sharing the rent and meal and cleaning duties I guess.” A slap on his shoulder made him giggle. “Also for sound advice and emotional support.”

“Here’s another piece of sound advice: next time Lenore harasses you, you file a police report. No buts.”

Hector nodded but hesitance oozed from his scrunched up eyebrows and hunched shoulders. The boy had such a soft heart that he was bound to be the abused party in a toxic relationship. God knew how long it had taken for him to open his eyes to Lenore’s bullshit and free himself from her vile clutch. Aside from a sister who called him once every blue moon, Isaac had no other sibling but with Hector, it was as if he’d unwittingly adopted a baby brother (read: hapless puppy) and now being protective brother was his semi full-time job. “Why do I have a nagging feeling Lenore wasn’t the only reason for your near breakdown? Did something else happen?” he wondered, narrowing his eyed at Hector and the slow nod he received confirmed his suspicion. Damn, Isaac hated being right when it came to Hector.

“I screwed up. Big time. And it’s literal.”

Sarcastic remarks were at the tip of his tongue but Isaac restrained himself. Hector had already had a rough day; sarcasm was only rubbing salt to open wounds, and while Isaac considered himself far from a virtuous man, he wasn’t Lenore. Calmly he replied, “You need to elaborate on that, especially the ‘literal’ part.”

Hector downed the remaining content of his almond milk like the act would fill up his guts for a grim confession. Isaac watched his Adam’s apple bobbing with patience. Putting his mug on the table, he sighed. “Literally I screwed someone I shouldn’t have. I just learned of his identity today. Now I’m definitely screwed.”

Isaac stared at his roommate with a rare flabbergasted expression that hadn’t manifested on his sharp features since middle school. His hand was frozen above the bowl of cookies. “His?” came his robotic echo. “You slept with a man?”

Hector nodded, unconsciously lowering his head. He succeeded in avoiding Isaac’s inquisitive gaze but didn’t quite succeed in hiding his blushes, which caused him to look like he’d just gulped down two glasses of decade-old Pinot.

“You told me you weren’t gay.”

“I’m still not. I think I maybe bisexual.”

“You think?” Isaac kept his tone flat to mask a hint of saltiness.

“I’m confused, Isaac, I haven’t really been with anyone before Lenore, but I kinda enjoyed it, so I’m probably bisexual.”

“Well, congratulations on your sexual enlightenment. What’s the problem?” He wrinkled his nose. “He didn’t turn out to be a distant cousin or long-lost family, did he?”

Hector’s head dropped on his crossed arms on the table. “No!” he protested. “Remember the company that I applied for internship?”

“The one you couldn’t stop gushing about how much you wanted to work for after graduation, V&L?”

“Yeah, they called me in this afternoon and I realized that I’d slept with my direct supervisor. I’m so screwed.”

“Where did you meet him? You didn’t know who he was at that time, right?”

“I didn’t. The night I broke up with Lenore, I went to the Silver Spoon, you know, to have a drink.”

“I know, that’s the primary reason people go to bars.”

“He was sitting alone by the wall, a series of shot glasses lined up before him. He looked sad and by that time I’d already had a couple tequila shots so I approached him and started telling him my breakup story, right after telling him how gorgeous he was with his honey-colored hair and eyes and his feathery lashes.”

“Enough. I’m surprised you managed to be that descriptive when intoxicated. Remind me to never let you go to a bar alone.”

“Tipsy, Isaac,” Hector corrected. “You know when I’m tipsy I tend to get wordy. Beside, you don’t drink.”

“Precisely. That’s why I can prevent you from committing social felonies.”

Hector looked abashed and he fidgeted with a loose thread on his sleeve. “He didn’t get angry and he listened instead of telling me off. Next thing I knew, he and I were cramming on our couch.”

“You what?”

Isaac was glad he wasn’t drinking anything; otherwise he’d risk spewing the liquid all over Hector given how close they were sitting. Pros? Hector deserved it. Cons? He was in danger of losing his face to the roommate who always thought he was cool, calm and collected; speaking in that slightly high-pitched was embarrassing enough. Why should he be embarrassed though? It was Hector who should be mortified. “I wasn’t home for one day and you brought a total stranger to our apartment. And on our couch!”

Hector held up his hands like he was afraid Isaac might hit him next. “I’m sorry, I’m really sorry. I sanitized it thoroughly afterwards so you won’t find any microorganism on it now.”

“Thanks to you now I have severe aversion to sit on that couch.”

“What should I do? Working at V&L has always been my dream and the internship paves the first steps to achieve it and I might have ruined everything for one amazing night.”

“That’s kind of disturbing when you put it like that,” Isaac commented. “How did he react when he saw you?”

“He looked quite shocked but he regained his composure very quickly before anyone saw it and acted like he was seeing me for the first time, all polite and distant like a stranger should.”

“And you saw all of his reactions?”

“I… might have been gluing my eyes on him even before he stepped into the room to be introduced to me. I think I did a decent job of not freaking out on the spot.”

“I’m so proud of you,” Isaac said drily, reaching for his book and showing Hector its cover. “Coincidentally I was reading this book which may help.”

“ _One-Night Stands at Workplace: What If I Slept with My Boss_ ,” Hector read, screwing up his face. “I don’t know I should be more surprised that such a book exists or that you’re reading it.”

Isaac absent-mindedly flipped through a few pages. “Well, I’m full of surprises. You want my sound advice on this?”

Hector nodded like a woodpecker.

“If he acts like nothing happened than it’s your cue to act the same. Dos: be professional and only talk about work. Don’ts: bring up that incident and make it awkward.”

Hector’s expression sank as he said, almost a whisper to himself, “I should probably do that but what if I don’t want to pretend nothing happened because it did and there was a connection and he made heavenly cheese omelet.”

Isaac wordlessly slid the dogeared book toward him.

_TBC_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> V&L stands for Vlad & Lisa but you might have guessed already.
> 
> I should have been working on my unfinished modern AU By Chance and in fact was one-fifth done (slow progress) but I got distracted with new ideas so…


	2. Chapter 2

Elsewhere in the city, a similar crisis was taking place.

Adrian had just finished level 50 of Candy Crush when Sypha’s text popped on his screen. “we’re here. where r u?” it read. He did a super quick scan of the space and found neither her nor Trevor before typing his reply. “Upper floor, table by the window.”

He hit the ‘send’ button and waited.

Three minutes and fifty-seven seconds later, Adrian saw his friends at the top of the stairs and waved at them, Sypha specifically because he could hear Trevor’s grunts from across the room.

“Sorry Adrian, we’re late,” Sypha said, shrugging off her leather jacket and draping it over the back of her chair. Pink dusted her cheeks and Adrian couldn’t tell whether it was cosmetic, exertion or something else. “We were a bit occupied.”

“It’s alright. I haven’t waited long.”

“We had a fight, just tell him that Sypha,” Trevor said, plopping himself down on his chair. Unlike Sypha, he didn’t take off his jacket, which looked identical to hers, a fact that didn’t escape Adrian’s keen eyes.

“Did it have anything to do with your matching jackets? They look good, by the way.”

“Actually yes. We went out to do some shopping and when we got home, Trevor was thirsty and he grabbed a beer from the fridge. You know what he said? _Better than sex_.” Sypha air-quoted.

“Brute.”

“Come on, man. You never got a beer so good and so satisfying you just blurted out?”

“Never, sorry, can’t relate,” Adrian replied, shaking his head, his blond curls bouncing off his shoulders. He turned to the freckle-faced waiter who had just arrived at their table. “A chai latte for me, please. Sypha?”

“Same and also a slice of matcha cheesecake.”

“A cappuccino. I forgot His Highness only partakes of wines.”

“Sorry to disappoint you, I also partake of other spirits, brandy, whiskey, tequila, vodka, to name a few.”

“Yeah, you once chugged a whole bottle of vodka at a party for exchange students.”

“I’d very much appreciate it if you deleted that incident from your memory, Sypha. The fight isn’t the only reason for your lateness, is it?”

“Well, the beer remark got us into a quarrel and then things got heated — very heated.”

“I can guess the rest, thank you. Glad you worked out the heat of your argument.”

Trevor’s eyebrows arched comically at his comment. “So what is it, Adrian?” he asked, sipping the complimentary cold water. “It’s Thursday afternoon. You don’t call us out to have coffee on a Thursday afternoon. Has Adrian The Serious decided to let his hair down? Oh look, he already did.”

“I know it’s out of character for me to take the afternoon off and call you guys out here but I’m having a crisis.”

“Oh Adrian, you know you can tell us anything.”

Sypha’s hand reached for Adrian’s and she motioned Trevor to do the same, which he scoffed at but complied anyway.

“I screwed up,” Adrian confessed.

“Given your daily life experiences, you’re gonna have to be more specific.”

“Ha-ha, Trevor. We all know you’ve been binging _Brooklyn Nine-Nine_. Try something more original.”

“That show is dope, you gotta admit it.”

The waiter brought out their orders and they broke the hand holding simultaneously.

“Actually, it’s worrying rather than amusing,” Sypha said. “You’ve never screwed up anything in your life, except that one time but we can look past that.”

“I’m afraid this time I truly did. At least that time, I was too wasted to fall into anyone’s bed, well, couch, technically.”

“You did fall into my bed, buddy.”

“And kicked you out so you crashed on my couch, Trevor.” Sypha turned to Adrian and resumed the hand holding, her chai latte and cheesecake forgotten. “We know you don’t do one-night stands but it’s pretty normal to blow off some steam every now and then when you’re single. We all have needs.”

“Yeah, no biggie,” Trevor chimed in. “There’s a first for everything. We should drink to that.” He raised his cappuccino.

“Contrary to popular belief, I’m not that hung up about casual sex. Say, what do people do if they see their one-night stands again?”

“Depends on the sex,” Trevor said, stroking his stubbly chin. “If it was good, smile, say hi and go on. If it was terrible, just go on like perfect strangers. Which was it? Good? Terrible? Mind-blowing?”

Adrian stared intensely into his chai latte as he stirred it. However, the tips of his ears had gone pink. “Decent....” he hesitated. “Good, actually. Not that I have much experience to compare though.”

Sypha threw a wink at Trevor, who snorted.

“I have to say it depends on the morning after, which in turn depends on the sex as Trevor pointed out.”

“I made cheese omelets with the eggs and cheese in the fridge and we ate together.”

“Aww,” Sypha exclaimed. “That is so sweet!”

Adrian winced at the high pitch of her voice; luckily they were the only customers on this floor. “It kind of unsettles me how you say it. Do people not do that?”

Sypha and Trevor both shrugged, prompting Adrian to roll his eyes at them.

“They could, but many just grab their things and leave. That’s why I think it’s sweet.”

“He said he would have cereal but it turned out the cereal had expired. Plus I was hungry too.”

“Wait what? A dude?” Trevor asked incredulously.

“Now that’s a new twist,” Sypha commented, a gleeful note in her tone.

Their unintentional simultaneity was so comical Adrian couldn’t help a few chuckles. “Hello, I’m bisexual, in case you forget.”

Trevor hid his expression behind his cup as he took a sip. “Shocking,” he said, scratching his hair. “You’ve never been with a guy before.”

“Adrian has never been with anyone before.”

“Thanks for pointing out my tear-jerking inexperience in the relationship department.”

Sypha sucked her chai latte through a pink paper straw. “We assumed you were an ace until you came out on your twenty-first birthday.”

“I had to make sure before I came out, hence _the_ incident.”

“Urgh, the Japanese exchange students,” Trevor muttered. “I remember them.”

“Anyway, why did you say you’d screwed up when you just boned a guy?” Sypha asked. “It’s 2020, not the fifteenth century.”

Adrian tugged a blond lock behind his ear when it was in danger of falling into his chai latte, which he had sorely neglected since it was brought out. “I slept with someone I shouldn’t have,” he said, worrying the straw between his teeth.

A forkful of matcha cheesecake froze midway to Sypha’s mouth and Trevor’s brows shot up into his hairline. Silence followed.

“A hooker?” Trevor asked, breaking the awkward silence.

Adrian shot him a dirty look. “No.”

“A perp?”

“No.”

“A druggie?”

“No.”

“A psycho?”

“Have you ever considered changing your profession to novelist?”

“One day, baby, one day. A minor?”

“You need brain bleach.”

“I give up,” Trevor declared, throwing his hands up.

“My turn,” Sypha announced, immediately jumping in the guessing game. “Was he someone from your company? No, no, let’s be more specific. One of the new interns?”

Adrian gaped at her.

“Judging by your reaction, I must be right,” Sypha said cheerily, punching Trevor’s shoulder. “I win so you’re gonna wash the dishes tonight.”

“How did you know?”

“Simple. Knowing our dear Adrian, who’s made up of 95% work, I surmise that when he said he’d slept with someone he shouldn’t have, it had to be someone at work. And since we’ve never detected any unresolved sexual tension when he speaks about his colleges, I further guess it had to be someone new and he did tell us V&L was getting a few interns.”

Adrian and Trevor gave her a round of applause. Sypha smiled and mock-bowed.

“So,” Sypha drawled, playing with her straw, “a new intern, huh? Is he still in college? What does he look like? Is he more of the cute type or the handsome type?”

In front of Sypha’s sparkling curious eyes, Adrian felt the urge to face-palm himself. “You’re missing the point, Sypha. I’m his direct supervisor and I slept with him. It’s highly inappropriate.”

“Yeah,” Trevor agreed. “Also kinda unprofessional.”

“Even Trevor says so.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Sypha shook her head. “Oh Adrian, one-night stands and romantic flings in workplace are actually more common than you think. There’s a book on this subject, titled _One-Night Stands at Workplace: What If I Slept with My Boss_.”

“Pretty good book, if you ask me.”

“I’m baffled you even read something other than magazines.”

“I was bored, okay, and that book happened to lie on top of the old magazine pile,” Trevor said defensively.

“Point is, Adrian, it’s not the end of the world that you slept with an intern. It’s not like it happened in the company, oh my God, it didn’t happen _right_ in the company, right?”

“I met him at the bar, and at that time I had no idea this young man was going to work directly under me.”

“Tell us, Adrian!” Sypha squealed. “We want deets!”

Trevor jerked his thumb at his excited girlfriend. “She wants, not me.”

Defeated, Adrian smiled at them; he was going to tell them anyway. That was the whole purpose of calling them out to have coffee on a Thursday afternoon. “I had a fight with the old man and entered a random bar on my way back home. Had a few shots of vodka when a man just came to me and straight up told me I was _gorgeous with my honey-colored hair and eyes and feathery lashes_.”

“Smooth,” Trevor commented drily.

“I was about to tell him to go fuck himself but I looked up and saw him and all my deliberately rude words fled me.”

“Ooh, hot guy detected.”

Adrian laughed. “He was... good-looking, yes. Maybe it was the influence of alcohol but what actually got me were his eyes. They were of the same color as the Italian sea we visited several years ago, before my mother passed away.”

“Oh Adrian,” Sypha said, squeezing his hand. Trevor’s expression shifted to that of solemnity.

“Anyway, since I didn’t chase him away, he sat down next to me and started pouring his heart out,” Adrian said, attempting to shift the mood. “Apparently he had just fished his ass — his words — out of a two-year abusive relationship right before he came here. I believed him because he had a fresh-looking bruise under his left eye.”

“That’s harsh,” Sypha said.

“I offered to buy him a drink. We talked — can’t remember what. We finished a bottle of vodka. We reeled out of the bar hand in hand and ended up on his couch. Two days later, he showed up at the company as a new intern. I was shaken but I acted like this was the first time I’d seen him.”

“How did he react?” Sypha asked, finishing her chai latte with a slurp.

Adrian’s sigh did not escape his best friends’ attention. “He took the hint,” he replied, “though I could feel his eyes on me the whole day... and the next.”

“He seemed quite taken with you. Have you talked to him about what happened?”

“No. So far we’ve been strictly professional, only conversing about work and nothing else. It’s been pretty awkward.”

Especially with the ways his treacherous eyes kept glancing at the intern’s exposed collarbone when he loosened his tie during breaks, but this teensy bit was not something Adrian intended to share with Sypha and Trevor.

“Well, you should talk to him and clear things up between you two. What do you think, Trevor?”

“Yeah, it’s better that he has no misunderstanding about it being something other than a one-timed thing.” Trevor’s face broke into a smirk. “Unless you don’t want it to be a one-timed thing.”

Adrian stared at him, a dumbfounded look plastered all over his face. Did he want it to be just a one-timed thing? His sense of propriety, which had more than once earned him the nickname Mr. Stuck-Up, dictated that he let it go; after all it was a ‘no-string-attached’ situation, why would he want any strings? The rest of him, however, had a different idea, because nearly everything the intern did, wearing a pencil behind his ear, biting his lower lip when concentrating or tapping his lean finger on the table to some rhythm in his head while waiting for the copy machine, seemed to call back the night they had had. Maintaining a calm, professional facade in front of him was getting harder by the day.

Sypha’s gaze softened and in that moment Adrian knew she had seen through him. “You rarely cook after Lisa passed away but you cooked for this guy and you just knew him for like, a few hours.”

“We were both hungry and hungover and tired.” His reason was weak and Adrian knew it. So did Sypha and Trevor.

“Bet you were,” Trevor snorted, earning him a light elbow from Sypha.

“All right, I admit I felt a sort of connection with him and I don’t want it to go to waste,” Adrian said, unconsciously avoiding his friends’ eyes by focusing on the tiny vortex created by constant stirring his neglected drink. “I’ll talk to him. The worst I can get is rejection, right?”

“Yeah, there’s a first to everything,” Trevor said, grinning and punching his arm.

“Call it a woman’s sixth sense but I have a hunch it will turn out fine. I mean, he ate Adrian’s omelet; who could say no after that?”

“He did seem to like it a lot.”

“See? In case things fly, can we meet the guy?”

Trevor’s expression immediately soured. “Your boyfriend’s right here,” he reminded her.

“What? I’m curious. “ _Good-looking”_ she air-quoted, “in Adrian’s standards means worthy of magazine covers. You can’t begrudge a girl her simple pleasures.”

Adrian laughed out loud. “I’ll ask him if it works out.”

Maybe not in the too-near future. If things did go well between them as he secretly hoped, Adrian would like to take things slowly. If not, well, at least he came out turmoil-free and it’d be easier to maintain an impartial and professional supervisor-intern relationship. Adrian could be many things but he was definitely not one to pine.

Breathing a sigh a relief, he finished his chai latte. Its taste wasn’t so bad when the weight had been lifted off his heart.

_TBC_


	3. Chapter 3

There were a few things Isaac expected — yet did _not_ wish — to see when he got home at seven thirty in the morning after an irregular shift. Things like Cezar’s sick near the entrance (his favorite spot for some reason) because Hector had put too much food in his bowl _again_ ; or Hector’s tousled head on the coffee table, a puddle of drool next to his mouth while his body was surrounded by hardcovers, scribbled notes, scraps of paper, a running laptop and unwashed mugs because someone had pulled an all-nighter and just passed out; or a combination of both because Hector tended to be extremely forgetful under stress. On a good day, he came back to a neat, clean and empty apartment because Hector had taken Cezar out for a walk in the park. On a bad day, he was greeted by a flurry of barbs and he stepped in just in time to stop Lenore’s dainty fingers from marking Hector’s cheek. Recalling those mornings had the potential to ruin his entire day so Isaac took a breath to sweep them to a corner in his head and sent some silent gratitude to God that Hector had found the sense to ditch her.

He encountered no dog sick when opening the door into his shared apartment and for that Isaac was grateful. However, his relatively good mood dipped soon as he spotted a pair of shiny dress shoes that were neither his nor Hector’s on the shoe rack, neatly placed next to Hector’s sneakers. Was his roommate having a guest? Isaac wondered, taking off his shoes and socks. Still, what kind of guest would be visiting at seven thirty in the morning, except… He recalled a conversation he’d had with Hector nearly a week ago and couldn’t bring himself to be fond of where this line of thought was going. His suspicion was further proven by the sight of a white shirt and wine-colored tie discarded on the couch. Squinting his eyes, Isaac picked up the two articles and upon closer inspection, he was one-hundred percent sure these didn’t belong to Hector because, one, he was the kind of person who knew how many shirts and ties his roommate owned, and two, Hector’s wardrobe wasn’t exactly huge. There were some whitish stains on the tie and Isaac dropped both items, wrinkling his nose. At this point he’d pretty much made up his mind about what kind of guest was in his apartment and also what sort of ‘activity’ they had engaged in the night before. Isaac cursed under his breath as he felt heat rising in his guts. Damn it, Hector. What hot mess had he gotten himself into again?

Looking on the bright side, he should be glad there was no way the shirt and tie were Lenore’s.

Isaac surprised himself with his own nonchalance when he saw a stranger in the kitchen, _using_ the kitchen as if it was his own. Blond hair tied in a messy bun and pants hanging dangerously low on his pelvis, he was flipping a pancake with the proficiency of a chef, if chefs did make pancakes from store-bought batter because that was all they got in the pantry. A buttery scent wafted before Isaac’s nostrils, causing his stomach to rumble. He cleared his throat to announce his presence to the man, who must have been too caught up in his task at hand to detect his coming footsteps.

The man jumped a little but his grip on the pan handle was steady and so the half-cooked pancake was safe. Isaac loathed to think about the waste and the amount of cleaning if he was startled into dropping the pan. It had happened once in the first month after Hector had moved in and aside from cleaning up the mess, he had also had to drive his roommate to the hospital to treat his burn. The only good thing to come out of that incident was they had learned more about each other during a couple short hours in the ER than an entire month under the same roof.

Did he want to learn more about this strange visitor via a similar circumstance? Absolutely not.

“Who are you?”

They said in unison. Same volume, same pitch, same even tone.

This was awkward. Almost as awkward as the first time Isaac had come home to find Lenore lounging in the kitchen wearing nothing but Hector’s old tee. But at least then he’d been informed beforehand that Hector’s girlfriend would come to their place. This dude, who looked like he’d stepped straight out of an adult magazine cover, Isaac had no idea who he was. And where the heck was Hector?

As if to answer his internal monologue Hector’s voice was heard from the bathroom. “You sure you don’t want to take a shower, Adrian?”

Hector appeared in front of the bathroom, barefooted and naked save a towel around his waist. Drops of water from his wet tendrils pooled on the floor and he toed the bath mat to soak them up. “… hi Isaac,” he greeted in tiny voice.

Isaac suddenly had a feeling of déjà vu.

“I’m good, Hector,” Adrian said, his gaze discreetly sweeping over Hector’s torso before returning to Isaac, who did certainty not miss that. “Can you introduce us?”

“Oh sure, sure. Adrian, this is Isaac. Isaac, Adrian.”

“Maybe you should put on some pants first before we sit down and talk,” Isaac said, arching his eyebrows suggestively.

“R-Right,” Hector stuttered, a blush creeping up his neck. “Gimme a minute. Be right back.”

Isaac had never seen him dematerialize that quickly.

“He’s usually more eloquent with his clothes on,” Isaac commented.

“He is.”

“I’m his roommate.”

The man took his outstretched hand and gave it a firm shake. His palm was dry and uncalloused, matching his princely look. Isaac imagined he had to come from a wealthy background. “I’m Adrian, Hector’s supervisor at V&L.”

“Ah, Feathery Lashes.”

On closer look, the guy did have long eyelashes that cast faint shadows on his high cheekbones. In the morning light, his eyes appeared to be the same color as his hair, which framed his chiseled face like a halo. Hector had been fairly accurate in spite of his tipsiness.

“Excuse me?” Adrian said, narrowing his eyes. His slightly offended look transformed into a bashful smile as realization dawned in. “Oh,” he muttered, carefully flipping the pancake onto a plate. “He must have told you.” He set the plate on the countertop and greased the pan with a small chunk of butter before pouring in the rest of the batter.

Isaac nodded, silently admiring his ability to cook and carry a conversation at the same time.

“Normally I’d say _Pleased to meet you_ but this is quite awkward so…”

“Agreed.”

Silence was brewing between them for a whole thirty second before Adrian broke it. “Do you like pancake? I intended to make omelet but there were no eggs in the fridge and pancake seemed the only option left.”

“Pancake is fine.”

Silence again.

Hector entered the kitchen at the same time Adrian placed the plates on the dining table.

“You’re not joining us for breakfast?” he asked, glancing at the pancakes.

Adrian smiled and undid his bun, letting his hair cascade over his shoulders. “Sorry, I’d love to but I should go home and grab some documents for the morning briefing.”

“Oh,” Hector let out a disappointed sound.

Isaac certainly did not share his roommate’s sentiment.

“Guess I’ll see you at the office.”

“Yes,” Adrian said, turning to Isaac. “Have a nice day.”

“Thank you for the pancakes,” Isaac said with a nod. “Have a nice day.”

He watched Adrian exit the kitchen, Hector following him. They stopped at the living room and Adrian put on his wrinkled shirt, untucked, and stuffed his tie in his pants pocket. He gave Hector a peck on the lips before disappearing from Isaac’s sight.

A few moments later, Hector sat down at the table.

“That was to avoid an awkward breakfast scene, wasn’t it?” Isaac asked, watching Hector rolling up the sleeves of his loose-fitting sweater.

“… yeah,” Hector admitted. “Also, there was just enough batter for two pancakes.”

“It seems I was being a third wheel right there.”

“No, no. All those reasons aside, Adrian really had to go home and prepare for the morning briefing. Last night he did tell me but I got a little carried away and forgot.”

“Carried away?” Isaac echoed. He reached for the bottle of maple syrup and poured a moderate amount on his pancake.

Hector lowered his head as he squirted one-third of the bottle content on his own pancake, making Isaac wince. It remained a mystery how he managed to stay in such good shape despite having a huge sweet tooth. “Yeah, uhm, you know…” he trailed off, not making eye contact with Isaac.

“What happened? Last time you said he was acting like nothing had ever happened and now you two are quite chummy with each other.”

“I was surprised too,” he divulged. “For a few days I tried to follow your advice and be professional. We didn’t talk much and when we did, it was strictly work. Then yesterday he asked me to go with him to the bar after work.”

“The Silver Spoon?” Isaac asked, forking a piece of pancake. He put it into his mouth and chewed carefully before swallowing. The taste was pretty agreeable to his palate even though Isaac wasn’t a fan of store-brought batter.

Hector nodded. “He offered to buy me a drink. We talked. I bought him a drink in return. We kept talking well into the night, until neither of us was fitted to drive.”

Isaac glanced at the direction of the living room. “I can see where all that talking led to.”

It looked like all of Hector’s blood had rushed to his face. Averting his eyes, he took his time to chew a mouthful of pancake as an excuse to not reply right away. Meanwhile, Isaac savored his food, giving his roommate time and space to process his thoughts before he resumed the conversation. He expected it wouldn’t take too long.

He was right, although what came out of Hector’s mouth next wasn’t quite what he anticipated.

“Sorry about the couch,” Hector said in low voice, almost like a whisper.

Isaac was torn between laughing out loud — something he hadn’t done for a while — and whacking Hector on the head. “Need I remind you that you have a room and a comfortable bed?”

Face flushed, Hector put down his cutlery to fiddle with his fingers. “We only made it to the couch, to be honest. Apparently whiskey and tequila don’t mix well.”

“I find it shockingly unfair that neither you nor he is having a hangover.”

“I’m having one right now. Adrian too, but he hides it well. He’s used to it, is what he said. He only needs a double expresso to get over it.”

Isaac finished his pancake. “Good for him,” he said flatly. “You need some strong coffee too?”

“Nah, I’m good. Caffeine and my anxiety don’t go well together.”

“Hector, I know it’s not my place to interfere in your personal life but perhaps you should tread carefully with this Adrian dude. Don’t know if you notice this but you’re a magnet for—”

“The hot and psychotic. Yeah, I’ve been told.”

“And Adrian is definitely hot.”

“He doesn’t appear to be the psychotic type… unless you hand him a report full of sloppy grammar.” Hector chuckled to himself. “No, what I mean is he’s very nice.”

“So was Lenore.”

“True,” Hector agreed, though his tone was laced with hesitation. “I won’t repeat the mistake of diving headfirst into a relationship. This time I’m taking things slowly. Talking, getting to know each other, et cetera. We both agreed to that. Don’t want to make it too weird in the workplace.”

A rare comical look found its way to Isaac’s features. “I see. Getting to know each other in more way than one.”

“You did say he was hot,” Hector said, smiling sheepishly while poking his half-eaten pancake with his fork. “But you’re right. I’ll be careful with Adrian. Thank you, Isaac, for being world’s best roommate and friend.”

“You’re welcome,” Isaac replied with a small smile. He stood up, patted Hector on the shoulder and made to deposit his plate and fork in the sink.

“By the way, Hector, one thing before I go catch a wink.”

“Yeah?”

“Burn the couch.”

…

“Over here, Adrian.”

Shaw’s on a Friday night was teeming with people and Adrian had to go on tip-toe to look over a few colorful heads. He saw the top of Sypha’s strawberry blonde head and her arm waving at him at a table in the corner. He threaded his way through a group of boisterous youths, getting a few — unintentional or otherwise — bumps before reaching his friends’ table.

“Sorry, I’m late.” Adrian sat down, loosening his tie and popping two of his top buttons open. “Got to finish up a few things at the office and the traffic was insane.”

“It’s a Friday night,” Sypha said. “We barely warmed the seats when you came.”

“And yet somehow Trevor has managed to procure himself a beer.”

“Gotta try Shaw’s famous home brew everyone can’t stop raving about.”

“How do you find it?”

“ _Better than sex_ I hope.”

Trevor’s expression immediately morphed into a grimace and his glass stopped millimeters from his lips. “Oh come on, Sypha. It’s been a week. You can’t possibly _still_ be jealous of a friggin’ beer.”

“Technically I can.”

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, Trevor. You should have learned that already,” Adrian said, laughing. “Alright, drinks are on me.”

“Someone’s in celebratory mood,” Sypha squealed. “In that case I’ll have a margarita on the rocks.”

“You, Trevor? Another pint of this excellent homebrew?”

“A cosmo for me,” Trevor said, then looked up to two pairs of raising eyebrows. “What? A man can’t enjoy a pink cocktail?”

“Sure he can,” Adrian replied, directing a smirk toward Trevor that he knew would rub his friend up the wrong way. “Bold choice though. Alright, guys, I’ll be back with the drinks.”

He returned about ten minutes later, with a margarita for Sypha, a cosmo for Trevor and a Bloody Mary for himself.

“So, what are we celebrating?” Sypha asked, taking her margarita from the tray. “Let me guess. Something about the intern? Ooh, did he say yes? Are you two now a thing?”

“That fast?”

Sypha gave her boyfriend a playful elbow. “Oh Trevor, where there’s love there’s a way.”

“I thought it was _where there’s a will there’s a way_.”

The elbow was no longer playful.

Adrian chuckled. “Hate to prove you wrong but I was rejected.”

It amazed him how Sypha could go from a shocked “What?” to a whiny “Why?” and finally, a sympathetic, possibly teary “I’m so, so sorry, Adrian” in a matter of seconds.

“What a bummer,” Trevor commented. “My sincerest condolences—dude, why’re you grinning? You were dumped.”

“Technically you can’t be dumped if you’re not yet in a relationship.”

“Tomayto, tomahto, Sypha.”

“I was rejected, not dumped, there’s a difference.”

“I don’t know why you’re smiling, Adrian. This is depressing. Are you in denial?”

“I’m not,” Adrian replied, sipping his drink. “And you guys are hilarious.”

“You talked to him?” Trevor asked.

“Yes, I asked him out after work. Same bar where we’d met. We talked for hours and came to an agreement.”

“You made it sound a lot like business.”

“Let him finish, Trevor.”

Adrian smiled. “It was a bit business-like, yes. And while he didn’t want to be in a relationship at the moment, which was understandable given that he’d just broken up with his girlfriend, he was open to the idea. For now we’re taking things slowly, maybe going to lunch or hanging out after work, getting to know each other, you know, like friends.”

“With or without benefits?” Trevor wiggled his eyebrows as he sipped his cosmo like Carrie Bradshaw from _Sex and the City_. None of his friends had ever doubted his credit as a true fan.

“That’s open to interpretation.”

“So you’re basically dating?” Sypha asked. “Oh my God, you’re dating!”

“I’m not sure about that, Sypha. I mean, the whole concept of relationship is still pretty new to me but I respect his decision so I just go with the flow and see if things work out.”

“See if you’re vibing, huh?”

“Yes. One thing I’m sure is I won’t refer to him as my boyfriend yet and vice versa. At work we’re strictly a supervisor and an intern.”

“How long is his internship?” Sypha asked, taking a small sip from her glass, which she had neglected so far.

“Three months,” Adrian replied. “At the end, all interns will take a company-administered exam to see if they’re qualified to be working here in the future.”

A small crease appeared between her pretty eyebrows. “Will that pose a problem between you and him? I know you’re not one to allow personal relations to meddle with your work but sometimes it’s difficult to separate them.”

“Especially when you’re responsible for evaluating him,” Trevor chimed in.

“Actually I’m not.”

“You’re not?”

“I’m taking supervisor role during his internship but his performance in the test will be judged by a board of senior employees, which I’m not a member of. They will decide whether he’s in or out.”

“Do you think he’ll pass?” Sypha asked.

“It’s too early to tell,” Adrian said, leaning back against his seat. “But I think he’ll do fine. He is hardworking and he possesses excellent oral skills.”

 _When he was fully clothed._ A small smile crept up his lips as Adrian recalled the morning scene at Hector’s apartment.

“Dang, that escalates quickly,” Trevor quipped. He threw his head back and burst into laughter, triggering a fit of giggles from Sypha. The rickety table shook.

Adrian looked at his friends with exasperated fondness as he tried to prevent their drinks from spilling.

“I mean presentation skills. Pull your head out of the gutter,” he chided, punching Trevor’s upper arm.

Still guffawing, Trevor rubbed the punched spot. “I bet oral skills aren’t the only things he’s good at.”

“He’s also good with animals. You remember Princess, Old Carl’s Rottweiler living in the basement of the building?”

“That beast is a hell hound, I told you,” Trevor grumbled. “Your boy tamed her or what?”

“He’s not _my boy_.”

“Come to think of it, we haven’t learned his name,” Sypha chimed in.

“His name’s Hector. He always comes early to give her treats and spend some time petting her. Princess is just a giant puppy around him.”

“So, he loves dogs,” Sypha said, counting her fingers. “He’s hard-working. He’s hot and he has excellent _oral_ skills.”

“Sypha…” Adrian groaned.

“Seems like a very nice guy. Alright, let’s drink to Hector.”

The other two obliged her and raised their glasses.

“Is it OK if we meet him sometime? I promise we won’t say or anything weird, just getting to know each other and expanding our friend circle.”

“It’s still a bit early for that but I’ll ask him.”

“Do you have any photos of him? I’m just curious about how he looks like.”

Trevor cleared his throat loudly.

“I’m a simple girl with simple pleasures,” Sypha chirped. “And _little_ Treffy remains my _biggest_ pleasure.”

Trevor choked on his drink. Under the bar’s dim light, he looked almost as pink as his cocktail.

“Guys,” Adrian said, stifling his laugh. He reached into his pocket for his phone and scrolled down his album. “I have just one photo, which I had to bribe Hector to get.”

“I’m afraid to ask what you bribed him to get it.”

Adrian gave Trevor a dirty look as he held up his screen to show a photo of Hector hugging Cezar to his chest while early sunlight from a nearby window made his silver hair shimmer.

“Wow,” Sypha exclaimed, “it’s beautiful. _He_ ’s beautiful. Is this his real hair color?”

Adrian nodded, feeling pride swelling in his chest. Simple as it looked, the photo hid one little secret that he intended to keep for himself: Hector was wearing his shirt when Adrian snapped the photo with his phone.

“Wait a sec,” Trevor said, squinting his eyes. “I know this guy. He’s a student at my college.”

“What?” Adrian and Sypha asked in unison.

“Dude got a girlfriend who came to the campus and raised a ruckus a week ago. Pretty girl, ugly temper. After that he was made to come to my office to have a long chat. Poor dude was shaken real bad.”

“That was the ex-girlfriend, no doubt,” Adrian said as realization dawned on him. At the same time, anger flared in his guts and he finished his drink in one gulp. In a few seconds he’d come up with at least a dozen ways to make her life a lot harder if she ever crossed paths with him.

His inner Ţepeş was emerging and that was no good. Gotta rein it in.

“Oh dear,” Sypha said, sighing. “That’s gonna be pretty awkward for future double-dates.”

_The End_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Adrian is hot and he does have a psychotic streak in him.  
> \---  
> So this is the end of this story. I'd like to thank all who've read and left kudos and comments. They gave me the inspiration to work on this fanfiction and finish it. Now I should probably get back to the other modern AU, By Chance, which I've been procrastinating for a while.


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